Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. I'm just a simple fan and writer.

A/N: A look at Brass and Catherine, more friendship than anything. Sorry I couldn't make it more romantic for the BrassCat fans. The two bond over drinks and share a few memories. Some nice, some not-so-nice.

Ficlet 27: Cheers

"Where's the food?"

"I don't know. But as long as we have our beer, I'll wait."

Brass and Catherine agreed to go to this new place - they were up for something new. It was s restaurant with an open bar and the two managed to catch Happy Hour. Yet they weren't feeling so happy.

They thought they were immune to horrible child abuse cases; thought they'd seen the worse. Then along comes a case like tonight.

CSI found a dead fourteen year old girl hanging from her classroom. Her parents beat her and apparently she thought suicide was the only answer.

Catherine was haunted by the way she looked… her blonde hair highlighting her purple face… she was reminded of Lindsey. Catherine just shook her head and took another sip of her beer.

"I can't get over how much she looked like Ellie."

Catherine looked at Brass. "I was actually thinking that she reminded me of Lindsey… God, I hope I don't experience anything as traumatic as that."

Brass tilted his head as he thought about it.

"How is Lindsey anyway?"

"She's a teenager," Catherine sighed, "I know she has to grow up sometime, but why now? Why so fast? She's slipping away from me and sometimes I think she might end up…"

Catherine didn't bother to finish the sentence. Brass understood.

"Yeah. It's tough raising a teenager. Especially a girl," He scratched his head as he thought of the earlier years.

"They throw fits. They scream. They think you don't care about them…"

"Exactly," Catherine agreed. "They don't realize that we punish, and work, and discipline because we care. We do all this because we don't want to see them get hurt."

"But they have a point. We need to spend time with our daughters. I worked so much that I nearly lost Ellie."

"Yeah… I bet she was a sweet girl." Catherine shouldn't have drank so much beer on an empty stomach. Where was their food?

"She loved my ex-wife more than me," Brass chuckled, "Then again, you couldn't blame her."

"Jim, stop," Catherine swatted at him in a playful way. "Seriously though, you're a great guy and a great father."

"And you're a great mother. You're so dedicated." He added. "We should drink to them. Wouldn't it be funny?"

"To Lindsey and Ellie? Why not?" Catherine chuckled lightly. The liquor must have been getting to her.

Brass lifted his bottle and clanked it against Catherine's beer. She smiled ruefully.

"I shouldn't be complaining to you. I still have a few years left with Linds."

"Well, make the most out of them," Brass responded. "Lindsey will come around. I just know it."

She straightened up and looked around, feeling a little guilty for what she was going to say next.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Eddie was still alive, you know? To take some of the responsibility off me?"

Brass stared at her, but didn't think it was odd. "How about this, if we get enough money, we'll take a few days off and go to Cape Cod. You and me. We deserve it. We're good parents."

"I'll drink to that."

"Cheers!"

Catherine toasted Brass once more and they shared stories of their beloved daughters. The girls that made their life so hard, but they wouldn't trade them for the world.

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I think I mentioned in my 15thficlet how I would try and explore these characters. Well this is what I was refering to. I like their camaraderie and they really do have alot of things in common. If anyone agrees (or even disagrees) let me know in a review. Thanks.